Hey Ally
by ausllyxaustinally
Summary: She's traumatized and in need of protection. He's an agent at a Safety Protection Program. He is assigned to protect her, but it seems his job just got a whole lot harder when he realizes the girl who he has to protect, is also the girl he hates.
1. Chapter 1

"Take some water, honey."

Because if there was one thing that was going to change anything that just happened to her, it would be water, right? Ally wants to reach out her shaking hands and take the plastic cup. She wants to down the refreshment until it's cleansed her of everything that she'd just witnessed but she doesn't. She stares at her feet.

The polite woman sighed, stepping back. She glanced over at the two officers who were standing near the back, arms crossed as they watched Ally with apologetic and concerned eyes to which Ally could have seen if she just lifted her head up.

But she didn't.

She didn't talk, she didn't move, heck, the girl hardly breathed right now. She kept her cappuccino irises focused on bare feet. She hadn't grabbed her shoes. She couldn't at the time, somebody had carried her out of her home.

"She's shivering." said the woman, looking back at the officers were a sad quirk to her lips. One of the officers dismissed himself and then came back with a blanket. He slumped it over Ally's shoulders, making sure she was kept warm. The woman looked back at Ally. Ally hardly remembered her name. Molly? Mary? Michelle?

Ally's ears were ringing. She felt like sitting down in the corner and curling up into a ball and she probably would have if she could get her feet to move. There was a sour taste at the back of her throat, it was something like bile and she knew that she would probably be vomiting all over the floors in this cold, private room if she had the strength. But Ally was completely destroyed, she was totally and utterly traumatized. She couldn't even think, move, or talk, all she could do was feel.

She wasn't normally like this: Ally loved to laugh. She adored company and having people around her. She enjoyed music and you could catch her dancing horribly all the time to which she would receive laughs but she never got embarrassed, she always just giggled. She was never shy, she was outgoing- Ally loved conversation.

Things were very different. The woman (whose name escaped Ally's mind) and the two officers standing near the back couldn't get Ally talk for the life of them. She wouldn't make eye contact, she just stared at her feet. Her face was emotionless, the smile that was normally curled there seemed to have run away and it made no promises to ever return. Her eyes that generally had the sparkle to them, were empty.

"Marge," said another officer, coming into the room very suddenly. Ally twitched, startled. _Marge _stared at Ally for a moment before looking over to the other officer who came into the room.

"No, sorry, Dale. We've got nothing from her." Marge said, already knowing what Dale would have wanted.

"Alright. We've contacted her father and SPP." said Dale. Marge nodded and Dale stared at Ally sadly before he left the room. It was impossible not to feel sorry for her. She looked so broken, so helpless, sitting in that chair.

"Is there anybody else you would like to see?" asked Marge but she never got a response. It was almost as though Ally couldn't hear anything, just the faded sound of what had just happened to her only a few hours ago. Marge sighed. "Is it alright if I see your phone?" she asked. Ally didn't move. Marge carefully grabbed the cell phone that had been placed on one of the tables.

She looked through Ally's contacts. "There has to be somebody other than your father who needs to know about what's going on." Marge said, "How about...Cassidy?" Nothing. "Chuck?" Nothing. "Colin?" Nothing. Ally let the woman read through nearly every name until she came upon Trish De La Rosa's name. Ally's finger twitched slightly. Marge looked at Ally's hand and then to Ally's face. She decided to click on Trish's name and press call.

Marge's voice sounded muffled in Ally's ears as she began to speak into her cell phone. "Hi, Yes, Is this Trish? Hi, Trish, my name is Marge. You might want to come down to the Police Department. There's been a situation: Ally has been traumatized."

It's not even twenty minutes later when Ally's father bursts into the room, Trish following closely behind. The two are frantic. The two officers immediately stepped in, holding the two back. "What happened to my daughter?" howled Ally's father.

Marge stood up, "Sir, please calm down. You may upset her."

And without intention, he had. Ally started to shake and quiver. She tried not to think about what happened and looking at her father brought it back. It brought back her mother's face and that was the one face she could not see right now. One of the officer's standing near the back approaching Ally and tried to console her from her shaking.

"Ally has been traumatized. We will explain the situation to you outside." Marge said. Somehow, Ally's father settled and agreed. Trish decided to join him in listening to what had gone on. Marge explained it exactly how it was: Ally was at her mother's place, there was a drug deal, some physical harm had been brought upon Ally, when cops arrived the doors and windows were shut and locked, the SWAT team had been contacted when police fretted the situation, the SWAT team had kicked down the front door and weapons had been fired back and forth between the drug dealers and the SWAT team, and it had left Ally traumatized. Marge mentions that they are sure more had happened that they are unsure of, but that was as much as they knew at the moment.

"Ally," Ally's father, Lester, comes in. His voice is choked up and tears are in his eyes. She doesn't look at him, she acts as though she doesn't hear him.

"Sir, she seems very incoherent right now. It's the shock, all of the trauma. She has been through a lot in the last few hours." said an officer. Lester nods his head and throws his arms around her to which Ally did not respond to. Normally, she would sink into her father's embrace and hug him back, but she didn't this time. That's when Lester knew that she was really traumatized.

Trish was blubbering in the back, asking the officers why they hadn't gotten their sooner, why they had fired their guns while she was still in the house. They apologize and honestly tell her that they had no choice. Trish walks over to Ally, rubs her shoulder and whispers that Ally will be fine.

"We have contacted SPP." Marge informed. Lester rubbed at his eyes and looked at Marge. "SPP is a Safety Protection Program. They will assign an agent to Ally and they will do their all to keep Ally safe. A few of our dealer's got away and they have threatened to come after Ally. Her agent will keep her out of harm and she will stay with her agent until further notice."

"Anything to keep her safe," Lester said softly, his eyes red with unshed tears. Marge smiled slightly and nodded.

**. . . . . . . **

"Agent Moon," Jimmy said, handing Austin a file, "We've got a girl for you."

"Oh, you know how I like those," Austin smirked jokingly. Jimmy shook his head, nearly chuckling but not quite getting it out. Austin flipped open the file and took a look at the photo. A pretty brunette with a beautiful smile - one that enraged him.

_He knew her._

"Her name's Allyson Dawson. We got a call about her yesterday. Poor girl's been traumatized. Apparently, there was a giant drug deal that went on in her mother's home and she was a witness. SWAT team rolled in, kicked down the door, and there was a gun fight. A few of the drug dealer's got away and I guess they want her back. We've got to protect her now." Jimmy explained.

Austin looked through her file, giving away all the information about him. He slowly shook his head. "Jimmy..." he said, cringing, "I...I think you should get a different agent for this one."

Jimmy frowned, confusion evident on his features. "Why?"

"Well...It's just that..." Austin slowly looked away from her picture, "I know her, Jimmy. I've met her before." he admitted before grumbling under his breath, "and trust me, she is not the lovable type."

"So, what, you've met her before," Jimmy shrugged, "That's not a big deal. What is a big deal is that we need to keep her safe and you are going to do your job and do what I tell you to."

"Jimmy," Austin sighed, "Ally and I...We..." Austin looked Jimmy in the eyes, "You know, there's a line to be crossed when somebody gets on your bad side. I'd like to say that this girl, right here," Austin tapped her photo, "has jumped over that line."

Jimmy rolled his eyes and stared at Austin. "You are going to do everything in your power to protect this girl."

"Jimmy," Austin groaned.

"It seems you two have a past together-"

"-Well, not exactly a past-"

"- You're animosity for her will also be sent to the past. She needs our help and we're going to help her. I don't care about whatever she's done to you, it's your job to keep her safe now." Jimmy stated, firmly. Austin sighed and watched Jimmy walk off.

He grumbled under his breath, "Screw me." Austin looked down at her picture. Could his day get any worse? This morning he got a flat tire, then he spilled his coffee all over his work papers, he lost his watch, and now he just learned that he needs to protect a girl with whom he has hated for over the last few years. This is just grand!

_"Austin Moon," Austin grinned at the petite brunette standing there. She was in a red dress, her hair was pulled back in a fancy up-do. She glanced at him and rolled her eyes._

_"Yeah, I know who you are. You're that jerk who cheated on Cassidy." The brunette looked him dead in the eye and then emphasized, "My __**best friend**__." _

_Austin cringed, "Is that what she told you?" Ally looked up at him again. "Well, she obviously isn't very good at telling the truth, because I didn't cheat on her. I broke up with her __**and then**__ I got with another girl. It wasn't even a thing, really. Just something that went down at a party."_

_"You're disgusting." Ally grimaced. _

_"And you're very judgmental," Austin frowned. Ally shook her head and rolled her eyes. _

_"Why did you come over here anyways?" Ally questioned, "Because I'm obviously not who you wanted to talk to."_

_"Actually, you were. I thought to myself 'Hey, there's a pretty girl who might be your type', so I came over here, trying to be nice but you proved me wrong. You're nothing like my type." Austin said._

_"You have type?" she looked at him with annoyed eyes._

_He nodded his head, "Yes. Brunette girls with pretty brown eyes," he answered, then added with emphasis, "__**Nice **__brunette girls with pretty brown eyes. So...Obviously not you." Ally shook her head, rolling her eyes and trying not to let out a whine of disgust. Cassidy was right, he really was a player! Ally thought to herself._

_"Austin, you came!" shouted a red-head boy before he stiffened when Austin smirked, "I really should word things better," the boy said. Ally looked appalled at the ginger boy who tossed his arm around Austin's neck, practically hanging off of him. He looked down at Ally and beamed. "Oh, Ally, you met Austin!"_

_"Dez," she hissed, "You're his __**friend**__?" she questioned, as if being Austin's friend was a crime against all things good. _

_"Yeah, for a while now." Dez nodded._

_"I've never heard you mention him." Ally crossed her arms, glaring. _

_"Sure I have, but that doesn't mean you ever listen to me when I talk." Dez cackled. Ally rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Dez straightened up. "I'm sensing that..." he turned and pointed between the Austin and Ally, "You two obviously didn't have a great introduction."_

_"You could say that," Ally grumbled. Dez winced at her tone and looked at Austin. Austin shrugged, giving Ally a dirty look. "Don't talk to me again," Ally told Austin. She turned around to walk away before she stopped herself and turned to Dez, "And while you're his friend...You don't talk to me either." Then she walked away, holding a pocket full of pride._

_Dez cringed, sucking in air through his teeth, "She does not like you, man." _

_Austin scoffed, "What a bitch."_

Austin rubbed his forehead. That wasn't all that happened between the two. That was only senior year back when they were both seventeen and eighteen. The two had crossed paths many times after that. They even went to the same college the first year before Austin decided he wanted to be an agent instead and left college. College was grand, wasn't it?

_"What the hell are you doing here?" Ally spat when she saw Austin come inside the lounge. _

_Austin gave her a teasing look, "Oh? Is this private property? I had no idea. I'll leave." He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb before rolling his eyes and narrowing them at her, "I was invited, stupid. Just because you hate me doesn't mean everybody else does."_

_Ally was fuming. "Austin, leave. You're only here because you want to annoy me." _

_"Wrong." Austin said, leaning over a table where cupcakes were. "I'm here because I was invited and I didn't know you would be here. Besides, You don't even belong here. There's gonna be a party. Last I checked, you don't do parties." _

_"Just get out of here, Austin," she growled, clenching her fists by her sides. Austin clicked his tongue, smirking at her. _

_"Sorry, Princess." _

_"Ugh, Austin," she grunted, angrily. Austin mimicked her as he grabbed a cupcake and shoved it into his mouth. He then walked off to socialize with other people. Ally ran a hand through her hair. This guy was unbelievable. _

That was college. How about the year after? He remembers that well. How could he forget the _wonderful_ time at Dez's mother's wedding?

_"She looks so beautiful," Ally gushed to Trish who nodded excitedly. Dez's mother was seated at the head table next to her new husband._

_"I can't believe I wasn't even allowed to sit up there! It's like she disowned me!" complained Dez, shaking his head. "At least I have this pie." he pointed down at his favourite dessert_

_"It really is too bad neither of us could sit up there. I wouldn't have to waste my time glaring at her." Austin glowered at Ally. Ally rolled her eyes and tossed her dirty napkin at him. It hit his forehead and then rolled down his face and falling onto the table. "Thanks, I needed a napkin." Austin smirked, collecting the dirty napkin and wiping his mouth with it._

_"You're disgusting!" she howled, looking at the napkin which she'd used several times. Austin gave her a tight smile. _

_"Learn to love me," he retorted. Ally's face contorted into a look of utter disgust. She focused on the meal that was on her plate. Trish and Dez exchanged annoyed glances. They couldn't hang out with their two best friend's because all they ever did was bicker and fight. If Dez ever mentioned Ally, the only response he was given was: Yeah, what about that bitch? And if Trish was to mentioned Austin, the response she got was: Don't even mention his name to me! _

_Trish sat up straight, "Dez, there's a slow song, dance with me!" She needed to get away from all this bickering. She'd been listening to it ever since the wedding started. She grabbed Dez's arm and pulled him away to the dance floor. _

_Ally slowly looked at Austin. Her lips were pressed together, her teeth gritted, her jaw set. There weren't words to describe the hatred in her gaze. Austin stared right back at her. He sipped his water and slammed the glass on the table. Ally didn't flinch at the loud sound. Their gazes were locked on each other and it wasn't romantic whatsoever. _

_"You're a real bitch, you know that?" Austin suddenly said. _

_"And you're a jerk who cares about nobody but himself. I'd say we're even." Ally replied. _

_Austin shook his head, "We'll never be even." _

_"Maybe not." Ally shrugged, grabbing her glass and downing her water. She was starting to wonder if coming to this wedding was a mistake. She loved Dez's mother, but being in the same room with Austin made her blood boil. Ally finally looked away from Austin, wondering if she could make it through the night without punching him. She's punched him before and even Austin can agree that she's not bad at it. In fact, Ally nearly broke his nose. Her father taught her well. Ally pushed her plate to the side._

_Austin was staring at her for a while before his eyes found the glass of champagne that was sitting in front of Ally, untouched. When she was staring away at the dance floor, distracted, Austin felt his lips curl into a smirk. He reached forward and flicked the glass. _

_The glass easily fell in front of Ally, spilling its contents all over her dress. She gasped and pushed her chair out, looking at the damage on her dress. _

_"Oh, no!" Austin said with fake concern before he cracked, chuckling. _

_Ally looked at him astonished, "Austin!" she roared. _

_"Woops?" he shrugged at her as if it were all a big mistake but Ally knew this was all on purpose. She huffed before shrugging out of her chair and marching out of the reception hall. She was never speaking to Austin again._

And she hadn't. The two had relaxed in their hated for each other but after that wedding, they never spoke or saw each other again. Dez and Trish stopped bringing one another up after hearing what Austin had done to their dress.

Austin shook his head and closed Ally's file. He looked around himself and saw everybody in the office working very hard. This was the first moment he wished he didn't work as a SPP Agent. He could've just been working in the computer lab or something that's lay low and boring.

He sighed, holding her file against his side and signed out of the office. He needed to go home for a break. He started tomorrow and he obviously needed to learn about her and what happened exactly. He wasn't excited about protecting Ally Dawson. In fact, he hated her enough that he was willing to leave her unprotected but of course that goes against everything he works for and believes in. He feels like his life just got a whole lot harder.

**Yeah, new story. But this has been in my head for a while and I thought I'd write it. As of my stories that are unfinished, I don't think they will be continued. I've got no ideas for them. Maybe in the future I will write them again, but as of right now, they are being post-poned/discontinued. Somebody To You and Wedding Crashers, however, will still be getting updates! **


	2. Chapter 2

Ally's sitting in the chair. She's staring at her lap and despite everyone's efforts over the last 24 hours, nobody could get a word out of her, nor could they get a glance from her. Suddenly, the door opens and Marge has walked in, followed by Ally's new agent, Austin Moon.

The officers that were kneeling next to Ally stood up and backed away. Marge walked fully into the room, standing next to Austin, "Ally, this is Austin Moon, an agent from SPP. You'll be staying with him for a while."

Austin was expecting the look of distaste to cross her features or a howling insult but he got nothing. Not a glance, not a grimace. She just stared at her lap, a fallen look in her eyes. Marge slowly looked at Austin and took a deep breath, "I assume you've heard about...everything."

Austin nodded his head, "I have." He glanced around the room, "Her father's not around?"

"He was here all night. Left this morning." Marge replied. Austin nodded his head and looked back at Ally. "We've done our all to try and make this better for her, but I'm not so sure there's anything we can do."

"There's nothing you really can do when somebody is traumatized." Austin said, knowledgably. He glanced towards another girl in the room and realized it was Trish. She was staring down at Ally with worried eyes. Trish hadn't spoken about Ally in such a long period of time that he nearly forgot how close she was with Ally. He figured she'd be upset about the situation.

"Well," Marge exhaled, "I guess I'll leave you with her for a while. You can introduce yourself."

Austin nodded his head, "Of course."

Trish sighed and kissed Ally's head. She was so concerned for her best friend. The two were close, practically sisters. "I'll be in touch," Trish told Ally. She walked towards Austin. "Take good care of her."

"That's my job," Austin replied. Trish smiled slightly and nodded. She walked out of the room with Marge and the officers. Austin waited until the door was closed before he looked at Ally. He stood there for a moment before he walked closer. He crouched down so he could see her face. She still wasn't looking at him. He glanced down at her hands to see what she was staring at. He slowly looked back up to her face. Though, he couldn't read what was going on inside her brown-eyed gaze because they were hidden behind her long lashes.

"It's nice to see you again," Austin said, a smirk on his face. Again, no response. Not even an eye roll. Austin inhaled, "Well...I guess we're going to be seeing a lot of each other. We have a place for you and I'll be staying there with you, lucky you." He nudged her knee but, once again, she did nothing. "I'll try not to bother you during your stay, but I won't make any promises because I get the feeling I'm going to be doing all the talking." Not even a smile.

Austin looked over his shoulder and saw Marge, Trish, and the officers watching them through the window. He looked back at Ally. "No pressure," he mumbled. Ally would've giggled, but she felt numb. She couldn't do anything. "So...You've been in here for a while, huh?"

Austin watched her and waited for something, maybe a small twitch, a grimace, a glare, perhaps a glance , but there was nothing. If he didn't know any better, he would say that Ally was just ignoring him.

Austin watched her for a moment. He wasn't going to treat her differently. He didn't know Ally a lot, but he knew her enough to know that she would hate to be pitied, she wouldn't want to be treated differently. "Okay, Look," Austin said, "I'm not so fond of you either but we're going to have to get used to each other until further notice. Then maybe in a few months, we'll never see each other again. For good this time." Austin waited to see if she'd snap at him, something around the lines of: _Not everything is about you_. She never did. "Nothing? Alright, alright."

The was silent for a moment. Austin glanced around the room. He looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly three in the afternoon. He figured Ally must be tired of sitting. "Well, Let's break you out of here," Austin said. Ally finally looked away from her lap. Her empty, cappuccino irises meeting his full ones. Austin arched his eye brows at her. "Hey," he said smoothly, greeting her once again. He stood up and held out his hand for her to take. Ally wanted to get out of that chair but she couldn't get her body to move. She felt so out of touch with everything going on. She just stared at his palm.

"I don't bite." Austin assured her, smirking. Ally stared at his hand for a moment, then peered up at him beneath her long lashes, then once again looking down at his hand. She looked down at her feet again. Austin looked over his shoulder and saw the small crowd of Trish, Marge, and the officers had gone away. He looked down at Ally. She was still shaking slightly. He slowly crouched down one more time, ignoring the burning in his shins from the awkward position. He tried to meet her eyes, but found that he couldn't as her gaze was dropped too low. "I know it's scary right now, but I'm going to keep you safe. It's kind of my job." He waited a moment before he reached his palm out again, "So?"

Ally hesitated before she glanced at his hand. She didn't exactly trust Austin, after all, the two didn't quite get along and had a bad past. He wasn't quite on her good side. But two solid minutes later, she slowly reached out and grabbed his hand. "That's it," Austin encouraged, "Come on now," he said, teasingly but he didn't get a smile from her. She seemed incapable of smiling. He stood up onto his feet and carefully helped her out of the chair. Her legs shook from beneath her and she took deeper breaths. Austin slowly and cautiously took her out of the room.

Austin had gotten Ally out of the police department. He opened the passenger door for her and let her inside his car. He then got into the driver's side. Ally stared at the dash emotionlessly. Austin looked over at her, "That wasn't too bad, right?" He hadn't expected a reply and he didn't get one either. He put his keys in the ignition.

Ally hadn't looked up from the dashboard the entire time. She didn't know how long he'd driven or where he'd driven but she noticed that the surroundings were quieter and the ride got slower. "This is the place." Austin said, glancing at her but she still didn't move.

Austin stopped the car. When Ally did look away from the dashboard, she drank in the surroundings. She felt safer.

The lot was complimented with rich green grass, fancy shrubbery and a water fountain. The driveway towards the front of the house was gravel and the sides were decorated with flowers. The house was huge. It wasn't amazingly tall, but it was tall enough. Austin took his keys from the ignition.

She wants to stay in the car, maybe hug herself until she falls out of reality but she knows she can't. She reaches for the door handle and opens it with small strength. She gasps when the door is yanked open further.

"You're really slow," Austin commented. She didn't look at him. She just looked around at the lot a little bit more. It was so beautiful that it almost made her forget what gloominess felt like. Everything was so bright: The grass, the flowers, the colors of the house. Ally slowly got out of the car, feeling the gravel beneath her bare feet. The rocks didn't even hurt. They were soft and smooth edged. "Anytime now." Austin chimed. He knew better than to treat a person suffering from psychological trauma this way, but it was Ally. Her situation didn't change the fact that they had a hateful past.

Austin shut the door behind her, a little bit too loudly causing her to jump. "It's just the door," he said calmly. She swallowed hard and looked away to look at everything again. She could go on for hours about how the front lot looked, she was mesmerized by how much room it had as well.

"I guess this is when the tour starts," Austin said, "This part is so boring," Austin grumbled under his breath but Ally still heard it. "This way," he pointed his finger in a gesture for her to follow. "Obviously, this is the front yard. Too big if you ask me," he said, "You've got the front porch there." He pointed to the porch.

It had a beautiful white rail standing along the perimeter. There was a porch swing sitting at one end and flower pots were set up along the steps of the porch. There were bird feeders hanging from the ceiling of the porch area, along with solar lamps around the cement walk way. Ally knew that it must look absolutely stunning when night would come. She looked at the red door, admiring the paint job. She'd always wanted to have a red door. Red was her favourite color.

She could see all the windows that were decorated with white and/or blue curtains. She counted six windows from the front of the house. There was a giant one which Ally guessed was most likely the living room's window and there were several smaller ones that Ally guessed were bedroom or bathroom windows.

"This is just a not-so-lovely view of the side of the house," Austin said as they kept walking. Ally still admired it though. The grass was so richly green and the flowers were well-watered and bloomed beautifully.

"This is the backyard," Austin gestured the huge lot. Ally's eyes almost bugged out of her skull. The bushes were practically sculptures and their branches and leaves were perfectly trimmed. The grass was even richer. There was a long, narrow pool next to a giant patio. There was lanterns and solar lamps set up around the patio and the pool. She glanced and saw the deck which had glass surrounding its perimeter, there were also two balconies surrounding French double doors. The yard also had multiple cherry trees and apple trees. It was just simply so beautiful.

"Has SPP made you feel at home yet?" Austin cackled because really this was a lot to ask for. When Ally had heard that she was going to be under the protection of an agent she hadn't expected Austin, but she definitely hadn't expected to go to a huge, rich place. She'd expected a small little cabin or a run-down home.

Ally looked around and spotted another huge fountain along with a cement bench. She was surprised it wasn't even covered with bird droppings. The place was very well taken care of.

"It still surprises me how much money we put into making these homes," Austin shook his head, "Well, come on, I'll show you inside."

The inside was so beautiful. Hard wood floors, large windows, white curtains, tanned colored walls. The kitchen was wide and spacious. The counter was marble and the oven/stove, fridge, dishwasher, was all a nice stainless steel. The cupboards were a dark oak with silver knobs and the floor had smooth, beautiful white tiles. There was a large island in the middle of the kitchen with several drawers Ally guessed were full of kitchen utensils. There were pots hanging from a place on the ceiling and Ally cringed when she thought about the 'what if they fell' scenario her mind made up. There was a china cabinet against a wall filled with antique bowls and dishes, they were gorgeous. Ally had a thing for vintage items. There was also a desk for papers with a small chair tucked beneath it. A recipe book was sitting on the top of the desk along with pens, pencils, and sticky notes scattered all over it.

Austin took her into the dining room which had a good view of the kitchen. There was a bright light hanging over the oak table. The chairs were tucked tidily beneath the table and there was a cute, crystal centre piece on the table. There was a giant window which gave a perfect view of the side lot.

The living room was gorgeous and cozy. A nice white, fuzzy rug was draped over the hardwood flooring. There were brown, comfortable couches spread around the living room in a neatly-fashioned way. The walls had picture frames and large canvases all over the walls. There was a large coffee table in the middle which had decorations set up all over it. That's where Ally noticed the large window which had the perfect view of the front of the house. There was a glass fireplace and just above the fire place was a giant TV that was tucked into the wall. Ally was happier when she saw the giant bookshelf pressed up against the wall with thousands upon thousands of books.

Austin showed her around more. She got to witness the giant rooms (and the fact that she'd been staying in one of them that had a balcony and French double doors), he showed her the fair sized bathrooms, the long, dreadful hallways (that's what Austin called them anyways). There were beautiful chandeliers in the front entrance with nice railings and mirrors all around. He'd showed her the beautiful sun room which had comfy seats and benches placed inside with a beautiful view of the backyard. He showed her around more rooms, ones that Austin didn't really think mattered but he showed them to her anyways. Austin was so relieved when he'd finished "the tour".

"Well, that's it. This is where you're spoiled to stay." Austin said, looking at her. Ally looked around a little more and nodded her head. "Well..." Austin inhaled, "I don't exactly have the arrangements for what we're going to do about getting some stuff but I'm sure we'll figure it out."

He added, "You're also supposed to know that nobody can get to you here. You're in a private property of SPP, our program owns this house and it's built securely to keep people safe. I'm pretty sure nobody will get to you down here and if they do, you'll still be fine because this house is huge and if you hid in any of these rooms, it'd give me enough time to beat the shit out of whoever is in the house and send their asses to jail." He was expected a small giggle but he still got nothing. "I've got all the training requirements to do this job, so you don't have to worry about anything. So, you're pretty much safe here, but if you feel unsafe in anyway, tell me and I'll do my all to make you feel safer." His lines were completely rehearsed and Ally could tell.

Ally didn't move again. At least she had made a small improvement: she wasn't staring at one spot anymore. Her eyes were moving around her surroundings and she was taking in where she was.

**. . . . . **

"I hope you like eggs." Austin said, slapping eggs onto Ally's plate, hot from the pan. She looked down at them. Austin walked back into the kitchen, leaving Ally at her spot at the table. When Austin dropped himself down in the chair with his own plate of eggs, he glanced across the table and noticed Ally hadn't touched her food. He waited a couple seconds to see if she'd begin eating, but she sat there motionlessly. "You have to eat."

She just stares at them. Austin isn't Ally's biggest fan so he wants to tell her that she's acting like a child, that it shouldn't be this hard to at least pretend like she'll enjoy the meal because he knows he's not the greatest cook but the more missions he completes, the better he gets with the whole stove plus food thing.

Austin manages to keep his mouth shut and he knows he's a total ass for thinking like this but it's Ally for god's sake, she judged him before she even knew him. Isn't that kind of an asshole move, too? See, he's not the only jackass in the world.

"It's getting cold," Austin chirped in a sing-song voice. He thought that maybe if he bothered her about the meal, she'd finally get annoyed and start eating but she doesn't. He tries to play loops of everything he was taught about dealing with somebody suffering with post traumatic stress but his resentment towards her is getting in the way. Austin glanced around. He noticed an apple sitting on the counter. He recalled Trish's rants about how Ally loves apples a little bit too much. He decides to grab her one because it was the only food he knew that she did love.

He gets up from his seat and grabs the washed apple and rolls it over to her. She lets it roll off the table and clunk to the floor. It keeps rolling until it hits the wall. Austin looked at her. She was worse than he thought. He leaned against the table. "Aren't you hungry?" he asked her although he knew she wouldn't answer. "You haven't eaten in a while."

Ally stared at her plate. The steaming smell of the hot eggs had vanished. There was a sharp pain in her heart for a long time while her mother had been off drinking for the last year but since the moment she saw those large guns being fired, her heart was paralyzed. Ally was just numb and she couldn't explain why. She couldn't feel the emptiness in her stomach, or the feeling of anger towards her mother, she couldn't feel the relief that her mother had been shipped off to rehab, not even the hatred towards Austin. It was like she didn't have feelings anymore and it kind of scared her.

Austin stared at Ally while she continued to stare at her plate. It was different seeing her in this dark light. For a minute, he misses the insults, the eye-rolls, the glares, the cold attitude. He feels something tug inside his chest, something like pity. Austin is all bad - he does have a sense of compassion swirling inside his guts somewhere.

It was silent for a long time as Austin had now directed his gaze to the wall and Ally stared emotionless at her plate. She's a shell, her skin is like sandpaper and her bones are hollow. Her eyes are a curtained window, but maybe if somebody opened those curtains they would see Ally is trapped inside her own body, being burned by flames that haunt her with every memory, every thought, every feeling.

Austin focused on Ally again. She couldn't just not eat, could she? That's unhealthy. He crouched down, hoping that if he made himself smaller, she'd feel the O.K. to look at him. She had looked at him with those empty eyes earlier. "Ally, you really need to eat. I know you don't want to, just like how you didn't want to leave the police department but you did it. So, you'll be able to eat this food, too." he encouraged, but nothing. Not even a hesitation. There was a wall keeping her from reality and living on the inside of her mind and it wasn't hard to notice. "Ally," he tried again, "Would you eat if Trish were here?" he questioned, "I have her number. I could call her and she could come see you."

Ally didn't move. Austin's gaze slowly dropped to stare at her plate, too. He pursed his lips. He drummed his fingers on the table for a moment. Once Austin realized that Ally was not going to budge for as much as a piece of her eggs, Austin reached over and grabbed the plate. "Are you sure you don't want it?" he questioned for reassurance because maybe she'd at least give him a look. She didn't. He took it as a _'Yes, I don't want it. Get the hell away from me._' He walked back to his plate and added her meal to his.

Austin knew it was a lot of food for one person, but he was sure he could manage. He sat down in his chair and Ally stared down at the table as if the plate was still there. He wondered how he was going to be able to eat in front of her knowing that her stomach is probably groaning for food and she's just too traumatized to realize it.

He ate anyways and he grinded his teeth harder so he wouldn't feel the aching guilt. She sat there and she didn't move.

**. . . . . **

She's lying awake in bed, her eyes are staring at her ceiling. She doesn't close them, she's afraid to. If she closes them, she might see it again: The way the smoke rose from the barrel of the gun. She might hear it again: The firing of the guns. She might smell it again: the smoke, the drugs, her mother's house.

Her eyes flutter closed for a moment and it's not even a split second when she opens them again because, yup, she saw it again. She heard it. She smelt it. She's okay with not sleeping. She wasn't that tired anyway.

But there is some point in the night when she's forced awake by the sound of a door opening wide. Okay, maybe she had been tired and she doesn't realize how her vocal chords are becoming sore until she notices that Austin is kneeling next to her bed, touching her hand and trying to convince that she was dreaming. She suddenly remembers the way the scene, the memory, was unfolding in her mind. Morose tidal waves are falling down her cheeks and her breath is catching sharply in her throat. When had that happened she wondered? Because she can't feel it exactly, but it's happening.

Austin is saying something but Ally can't hear him over the sound of quivering sobs. It must be something comforting or something he's been trained to say, because she can feel her mind drifting into a state of peace. The sobs are lessening by the minute.

"Nightmare's are normal." Austin mentions to her in a soft voice she's never heard him use before. She guessed he's supposed to tell her that, probably so she didn't feel as crazy, as embarrassed, as upset. She still hears this shaky breathing and she knows it's her. She can feel the way her breath is hardly getting through the lump that has swelled in her throat. She didn't feel the tightness of it - at least being numb was good for something.


	3. Chapter 3

Ally was seated on the couch in the living room where Austin had requested she sat. He came back into the living room being followed by a woman who looked to be in perhaps her mid fifties. "Ally," Austin said, although Ally didn't glance over. She stared at a spot on the floor. "This is Rosie E. Franklin. She's going to help you deal with everything. She just wants to _talk_ with you."

Dr. Franklin watched as Ally didn't move. This wasn't alarming or odd, it was very normal. She smiled. "May I?" she asked Austin, gesturing towards the couch. Austin nodded and watched as Dr. Franklin stepped forward, slowly and cautiously sitting down beside Ally. "A lot of people call me Dr. Franklin, but I don't like feeling like I'm on a higher pedestal than my clients so call me Rosie."

Her voice was sweet, pouring out like syrup. She sounded polite and nice, somebody who you would maybe feel comfortable sharing your life story with because you wouldn't worry about judgment, but Ally is too far away in her own mind to even look at the psychologist.

Rosie E. Franklin inhaled, glancing over at Austin who stood there with his arms folded in front of his chest. She looked back at Ally. "Well, I'll just introduce myself a little bit more." said Rosie and she immediately started informing Ally about all of her schooling and experience with psychology and counseling people with trauma.

Ally hardly listened to a word of it. Nothing this woman was saying made her feel any different or any better. Ally hadn't even realized that Rosie was waiting on her to speak until she started to soothingly tell Ally about how it was okay to talk about what happened. But it wasn't that Ally didn't _want_ to talk, Ally felt like she _couldn't_ talk. Her tongue felt swollen and her mouth was always dry. She was just stuck in her own mind and she had no idea how to come out.

The conversation furthered, but Ally tried to focus on something else other than the kind woman's voice. She really wasn't helping like she probably thought she was. "A lot of people deal with post-traumatic stress. It's quite normal, Ally, so don't ever feel like you're crazy or that you're alone." Ally had heard the woman say when she zoned back into the conversation. "You are reacting quite normal for somebody who has seen something traumatic. I do think you need to continue this counseling, because I've watched your body language and you seem to get very uptight and uncomfortable when reminded of the situation." Ally didn't want counseling but until she could speak up for herself, she was going to have to deal with it.

Ally waited, waited, waited for the woman to stop talking and it had been nearly an hour before she really had. It struck Ally as alarming how the woman practically carried a conversation with herself, but Ally reminded herself that the woman has probably seen people like her millions of times. That was probably also why Austin knew what to do all the time.

"I'm suggesting counseling every week." Rosie told Austin who was guiding her to the door. Austin nodded.

Austin made arrangements with Rosie before Rosie smiled at Ally and waved. Ally didn't even notice. Austin shut the door behind the woman. He slowly turned and looked at Ally who was still focusing on the floor.

"If I make breakfast, will you eat it today?" Austin questioned. "Didn't think so." Austin mumbled after a moment of silence. He stared at her for a few more seconds before he shook his head and walked to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast.

Ally finally looked up and gazed out the window. She noticed a bird perched up on the bird feeder. She wondered how long it would take until she felt like herself again. She missed the old her. The girl who insulted Austin Moon every time he uttered something, the girl who laughed a lot, the girl who thought positively about any situation, the girl who practically wrote songs to breathe, the girl who Trish loved to hang out with, the girl who wasn't _this _girl.

_"Mom, you have to stop this." Ally sighed, combing her fingers through her hair. Penny Dawson sat on the sofa, a beer in her hand. _

_"Ally, honey, it's just a drink." Penny said, smiling slightly. "I know you and your father don't agree with any drinking, but it's just a social drink. Something to relax."_

_Ally stared at her mother for a moment before nodding her head. She looked over to the TV and smiled slightly. "How I Met Your Mother?" Ally said, plopping down on the couch next to her mother. She reached forward and grabbed a handful of candy that was in the bowl on the coffee table. Penny grinned, taking a gulp of her drink as she nodded._

_Ally spent the night watching TV with her mom while her father was out late. She tried not to notice that her mother reeked of something different. Something like pot. But Ally pushed that to the back of her mind and tried to enjoy some quality time with her mother, just like old times. She even forced herself to ignore the fact that her mother got onto her third beer and she was a little bit more than tipsy._

Ally should have stopped her there. She should have called her father and told him that her mother needed help. They should've gotten her mother help before it turned into what it did. But they hadn't. Ally came out of her memory when she hears Austin's voice.

He slapped a pancake onto the empty plate he'd handed her just now. Ally stared down at the food there. The smell of pancakes tickled her nose. She felt no temptation to eat the food. "I couldn't just not make you breakfast." Austin said. "You should eat. You need it. It would also be rude if you didn't."

He was trying to treat her like he normally would, but it was hard to be rude to her when she wouldn't even talk, when she laid awake at night because of nightmares, when she wouldn't look at him. He knew things were different now. Ally wasn't the same, but did that mean Austin had to treat her differently? He really hoped and wished it didn't, because there is not an ounce of respect for Ally in his body. She's still the girl who judged him before she knew him. She was still Trish's annoying, know-it-all best friend. She was still his ex girlfriend's friend.

Ally stared down at the pancake, not even batting an eye. Austin stared at her for a moment before he realized there had been a tear on her cheek. It wasn't going anywhere. It was stuck on her cheekbone and it almost seemed that her skin was drinking in the saltiness. It was nearly dried there.

Austin sighed, "Ally...You can't just not eat. That's considered starving yourself. I know that you don't feel anything right now, you're not hungry but that doesn't mean you shouldn't eat. You need to force it down." he attempted.

It was like his words went through one ear and out the other. Ally still wouldn't move. She eyed the bare pancake. She fingertips trembled and she dropped the plate. It landed with a slap on her lap. She stared at her fingers. It was like she couldn't feel anything either. It had been like she was holding air.

Austin crouched down, coming to Ally's eye level. "Look, Ally, I don't know what happened in that house exactly, but sooner or later you're going to have to start talking." You were never supposed to force one of the 'patients' to talk about what had happened, you weren't supposed to force them to do anything but Austin was getting frustrated. Perhaps, he was more frustrated because he hated this girl with a passion and just didn't want to be around her at all and wanted this over with as soon as possible. He removed the plate from her lap, knowing that she wasn't going to eat that pancake.

Austin's phone started to go off. He answered it quickly. "This is Austin." Austin sighed when he heard the sound of Lester Dawson's voice on the other line. He bit on the inside of his cheek when Lester had requested to speak with Ally. "She's in no shape to talk." He listened to the man plead softly. "Alright then."

Austin pulled the phone away from his ear, "It's for you." Austin said, holding out the phone but Ally didn't reach for it. She didn't even twitch. Austin sighed. "Alright, Mr. Dawson, I'm giving her the phone now." He held his phone to her ear.

It took a moment before Mr. Dawson said, "Ally? Ally, it's Dad."

The sound of her father's voice brought things back. The memory of her mother. It brought back all the times she listened to them fight over Penny's overuse of alcohol and drugs. It brought back the fact that he was a broken man now that his wife was in rehab and possibly going to jail afterwards. Ally's breathing got a little deeper. She clenched her fists, trying to get the sense of feeling back in them but all her finger tips did was tingle. She swallowed hard, her throat feeling sticky.

"I just wanted to call and tell you I love you. I'll come visit as soon as I can, as soon as I'm allowed. Promise." Lester said, his voice cracking slightly. Austin waited, his eyes focused on Ally, prepared to attend to her if her breathing got any heavier.

Lester waited for Ally to reply, but she didn't. He sighed lightly. "I got word about your mother. She is getting all the help she needs now. She made it to Timberline Knolls. They're going to take good care of her. When she gets back, she'll be just how she used to be."

But Ally didn't want to see her mother again. The thought of her mother brought back memories, the kind that she didn't want to remember. Ally's breathing a tad heavier, her lungs feeling tighter and her toes curling. The blood drained from her face.

Austin took the phone away from her ear, "That's enough talk, Mr. Dawson. I'll let you know when she could use your company. Until then, you are limited to small phone calls." Austin said. He felt awful for having to cut the call so short, but Ally wasn't going to reply and Lester had obviously said a trigger to Ally. Austin hung up the phone. "What did he say?" Austin questioned, for a moment forgetting that Ally wouldn't answer.

Her mouth felt like sandpaper, her throat feeling like it was burning up. Her skin awoke with goose bumps and her muscles trembling. Her lungs expanded and contracted at a quicker pace than normal, her face white like a sheet. "Ally," he said again, "Ally, look at me." And she did. For the first time, excluding the moment at the police department. Her eyes were glassy with fear.

It was like she was waiting for the SWAT team to burst through the door, firing their large guns. Her breathing was heavier and she started to shift away from Austin. The world felt like it was spinning crookedly on its axis. The floor was shifting and the walls were caving. Ally's skin started to feel hot, her palms becoming clammy.

"Ally," Austin said again, her eyes were shifty, "Look at me." he repeated. She wouldn't. He watched her eyes. They were like a hawk's, watching every little movement in the room, like the floor was about to open up and swallow her. "Ally, this is called a trigger. These things happen when you're reminded of something that scared you in the past. They might happen a lot. Nothing here is going to hurt you, I'm not going to hurt. You just need to look at me and we can work through this." Finally, her eyes found his. "Good...Good. Just focus on me and take a deep breath. Your throat isn't closing, Ally, it's in your mind. No, you're not going crazy, it's just a panic attack. This happens to a lot of people, especially after facing what you faced and whatever else happened in that house. Just remember to breathe, deeply and slowly."

Her hands were trembling and Ally could feel the hot tears burning her feverish cheeks. She wanted to crawl in the corner and bury her face into her lap. She wanted to fall through the floor and hide. She wanted this to stop. She didn't want to think anymore because she knew that it was the thinking that was murdering her. She looked down at her hands, watching just how shaky they were.

"No, Ally, keep looking at me." Austin said, "Take a deep breath. Breathe with your stomach, not your chest. I know this feels very scary and very weird, but you're not going to die. I won't let that happen. I promise." He waited to see if her breathing changed and it did very slightly as she began to do as he said. "If you want, you can tighten your muscles and loosen them, it'll help relax you. Or count to ten and then count backwards from ten. It'll get your mind off what's going on."

She silently counted to ten and counted backwards, but it didn't help much. Ally felt like each breath was about to get caught in her throat. The sense of being out of reality didn't affect her much because since the traumatization, she'd gotten used to it. Her chest was starting to ache from not breathing properly.

"Slow, deep breaths." Austin instructed as he coached her to breathe. It wasn't a long while until she slowly started to focus on her breath and regulating it. She took deep and slow breaths, feeling her stomach expand with each inhalation. She was still shaky even now that she was starting to get more relaxed. "See," Austin said softly, "You're fine. Everything's fine."

Ally swallowed hard, finally feeling the moisture come back to her mouth. She was still slightly shaken up from the panic attack but she now somehow felt a bigger sense of security with Austin. He had helped her during a scary moment, he didn't hurt her and he held her hand the entire time.

He released the soft grip on her hand. Ally suddenly felt cold. She shivered lightly as her teeth began to chatter. Although she was sure this wasn't because Austin had released her hand, it had to be because of that panic attack. Austin had taken two Kleenex's from a box on the coffee table and handed it towards her.

This time she moved on her own. She shakily reached out and grabbed the tissues. Her breathing was still a bit shaky, but it was regular now and she didn't feel like she was dying anymore. She placed the Kleenex's beneath her eyes, wiping away the wetness.

If Ally had felt able to talk, she might have thanked him - or maybe she'd insult him like old times, she didn't know, but she did know that Austin had passed some invisible test of trust. She felt safe with him now. He was different than before. She really knew that he was good at his job and that he'd protect her if the time came.

Though, she still didn't like that he cheated on Cassidy.

Austin slowly got up from the floor and for a reason he will never explain, he touched her head softly. "I'm going to get you some water." he told her and walked off towards the kitchen. Ally nodded softly although he never got to see it. She wiped at her face again.

**Super Shortness :(**

**I didn't receive a lot of feedback from Oh, That Melody so there's a chance that that one may not continue. I only posted it to see if anyone would enjoy it and only very few did enjoy it. It was absolutely inspired from the first episode of A&A, just with my own twist to it. But I do have a few other stories coming out soon! Perhaps, the next one will be posted within the next 24 hours.**


	4. Chapter 4

"...And would you say that things are going well? There's improvement?" Jimmy questioned Austin, clicking the top of his pen repeatedly.

Austin was sitting in his office room, leaning against his desk. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "No, Jimmy, No, I wouldn't say that. She's in the same shape as she was last week when I took her in." Austin could hear Jimmy's fingers typing loudly on a keyboard. Austin didn't know why he felt slightly irritated that Jimmy was taking notes on this. He did it for every _client_, but there was something about him doing it to Ally that made him feel, well, pissed.

"She can't have visitors." Austin added.

"Austin, you are not allowed to keep her from her friends and family. Our researchers have found that our clients improve with the help of their supporters such as their friends and family." Jimmy said.

Austin sighed, turning around to face the papers on his desk. He had been taking notes about Ally as well, but he didn't have much considering he hadn't noticed her make any progress at all. "She can't handle it right now, Jimmy. She's made no progress whatsoever. Dr. Franklin hasn't helped at all and she didn't react very well to speaking with her father over the phone. The night-terrors are still frequent as are her panic attacks, occasionally the two go hand-in-hand. She's very dazed, mopey, depressed, she's still not speaking or making any eye-contact, she hasn't eaten at all. She's definitely suffering from PTSD." Austin said as he scanned the notes he'd written.

He could hear Jimmy typing again. "Have you tried anything else? Have you tried your own counseling? You have your training in it."

"She doesn't want to talk to me, ever." Austin replied, "I'm pretty sure she still thinks I'm some ass from high school." He shook his head.

"Have you tried taking her outside? You know the wonders of the sun." Jimmy's tone was slightly teasing but he also meant what he said.

Austin sighed again, "Maybe one day I could. She doesn't do much. She still very emotionless. I've tried to get her attention. There's nothing-" Austin cut himself off when he heard the small, distant hum of music.

"Moon?" called Jimmy, curiously.

"Yeah, still here," Austin mumbled, furrowing his eye brows trying to figure out what he was hearing. His mind registered the noise to be the sound of a piano. Down the hall he had a music room but he had set it up just for him. Music was his place when work got stressful and he'd normally go in there and start playing whatever and writing songs. He doesn't show the clients that room and the only other person in the big house was Ally. His eyes widened. He quickly focused back on his phone-call. Jimmy was going on about something that obviously related to Ally's situation. Austin interrupted him, "-Jimmy, Yeah, I have to go." Austin said, "Another phone call. I'll call you tonight if I have any updates." He hung up.

Austin left the room and started making his way towards his private music room where he heard the sad melody being clearer. The sound was incredible and it did something to his insides. There weren't any words filling the melody but the melody was so beautiful that it sent him into a state of bliss. He knew it was Ally playing and he could tell that the melody said everything that she couldn't, everything she wanted to say but couldn't find the words to. Everything she couldn't get her mouth to vocalize.

His heart vibrated at the sad sound and he could not get over how blissfully perfect the harmony was. It wasn't messy or choppy, it was perfect and it flowed together like the chords and notes she was using were always meant to be tied together this way.

The door was opened slightly and he gently pushed it open a little more. She hadn't heard him. The pads of her fingers tapped the piano keys with true gifting. He had never heard anyone play such a beautiful melody and he had clearly never heard it before. Austin normally spent his free time writing music or listening to songs, instrumentals, melodies, and symphonies. He knew almost every piano melody and he didn't recognize this one but it sounded a lot like his new favourite.

He watched her. It was the most he'd ever seen her move. Her body moved with the music slightly and there a large amount of soul in the melody, that wasn't hard to notice with the way it sounded. His heart felt heavy just listening to it, like the music was causing whatever emotions hidden inside of him to come out. He stepped into the room a little more.

His heart and mind completely fell in love with the melody she played. So sad, so brave, so strong. He didn't know how to explain it really, just that it was incredibly sad but so sad that it was beautiful. It wasn't the kind of sad melody that made you feel tired, or bored, it made you feel really alive, like whatever sadness you had inside of you was welcomed to come out and it was a large piece of you that was allowed to be there. It was a melody that shouted how okay it was to be sad, to be broken.

And that's exactly what Ally was.

He almost felt disappointed when she stopped. "Wow." Austin said. She jumped and turned to look at him. There was another huge reaction he hadn't seen from her since she'd gotten here. He gave her a slight smile. There was something appealing about her being able to play music. "That was amazing, Ally. I've never heard it. Did you write that melody?" he questioned her, coming closer to peer at the music sheets on the piano. He only saw the sheets from whatever melody he'd been writing.

Ally surprised him by responding. She nodded but kept her gaze on the piano keys as she rubbed the pads on her fingers on a few of them as if she was brushing away dust particles or maybe tear drops. Austin sunk down on the bench next to her. She tensed up, but Austin didn't notice.

"That was..." Austin shook his head and let out a breath in awe. "I've never heard any melody like that before. It was incredible. When did you write it?" he questioned, but he wasn't sure why he asked considering she probably wasn't going to reply.

She surprised him again, because she did answer him. Her voice was small, cracking, and dry. "Last night."

He looked at her appalled. She just spoke. For the first time. For the first time that wasn't while she was waking up from a nightmare, that is. He'd only ever heard her voice when she was crying out or screaming through her night-terrors. This was the first time she actually _spoke_ since he'd taken her in. Although he had to strain his ears to hear her, he took this as slight progress. He should've known music would help! Music always help! Well, it helps him anyways. He also suddenly recalled Trish constantly telling him over the years that Ally had some sort of show playing. He almost face-palmed himself.

He decided to stop gawking before she got uncomfortable, "How?" he asked, hoping to keep the conversation light and brief. He didn't want to overwhelm her and he didn't want her to shrink away from the conversation. This was progress.

She doesn't crack a smile even though she wanted to. "I just put things together."

Austin let out a gruff chuckle, "Well...I _know _that. Have you been in here before?"

She shook her head slowly, "No." Austin wished she'd speak up a little louder but he wouldn't push it. Things were good right now and he didn't want to wreck that. "I...I hear melodies in my head." she swallowed, her voice sore from not using it for the last week. "The door was open."

Austin recalled being in the music room earlier that morning. He had lyrics pulsing in his mind and he'd quickly scribbled them down before leaving the room to get back to his work of helping Ally. He must've left the door open and she happened to see it when she was most likely walking down the hall. He nodded his head.

"What do you call it?" Austin questioned.

She hesitated, "Alone Wolf."

Austin was ecstatic that he was getting so much out of her. This was major improvement. For her anyways. Austin's insides were nearly bouncing at her progress as he nodded his head. He finally noticed that she written the melody out on her hand messily with blue ink. She must've just pieced it together now. He then saw the music sheet sitting on the piano where she'd just written it all out. He couldn't believe she thought up something that harmonizing.

"I liked it a lot." Austin said. Ally didn't reply now. "Do you want to play it again?" he asked. For a moment, he thought she wasn't going to as she kept her hands in her lap for a long time but soon enough, she set her fingers on the keys and started playing from the beginning. Austin listened intently, loving the sound her fingers could make.

**. . . . . **

Austin decided that she was only making progress inside the music room so he allowed her to stay in there. She'd written three other melodies; all equally as sad, all equally as beautiful. She hadn't spoken since that afternoon but he was okay with that because she was still writing melodies and that made him feel like she was continuing to make progress.

He sat on the floor and looked over lyrics he'd written and finished. He was writing to the sound of Ally's melody but he crumpled the paper and decided that he shouldn't write lyrics to her own melody. He recalled Trish telling him once about Ally's incredible writing ability and he started to think it was rude to place his own words into her feelings. He didn't know what was going through her head or what she was feeling, he didn't want to fill her melodies with words that weren't true.

He lifted himself up from the floor and sat down beside her on the bench. She had stopped playing. He shook his head, "No, keep going. Don't mind me." he said. She hesitantly played again. Austin just loved hearing the melodies she could slap onto the piano. It was amazing. "Have you tried...adding words to your melodies?"

He wondered if he shouldn't have asked but he was curious to know what might be going through her head. She stole his breath when she glanced over at him quickly. Yes, music was definitely causing great progress. She stood up from the bench and Austin watched as she reached into her back pocket. She sat down again and unfolded the paper. She was hesitant again, but eventually handed him the paper and it was full of words with messily scribbles of the melody on the sides of the paper. She was one true songwriter, he decided. He had no idea that music was something they would have in common. He always recalled thinking she was a pretty girl who was stuck up. Even when Trish mentioned her musical talent, Austin had dismissed it for Trish only liking it because Ally was her best friend. He didn't know Trish's judgment on Ally's music was true.

Austin roamed the words. It was like she was giving him a look in on everything that she was going on inside of her, and really she was. The songwriting was the truest, most honest part of her and she was letting Austin see it. It was the first song she had written about how she felt dealing with _her situation_.

She felt nervous as she glanced at Austin's face. His eye brows were furrowed in concentration. She immediately focused on her hands that were in her lap. Austin sat up straighter as he finished reading the words, "Ally...This is incredible. Can you sing?" he asked.

Nope, nope, nope, Ally would not sing. She is refusing to sing. She didn't respond; not a shake of the head, not a glance, not a shrug. Austin waited, disappointed when he got nothing. "Trish brags about how awesome you are. You sure you don't want to show me?" Austin questioned.

Ally would definitely fall apart if she sang these words. This was the deepest part of her right now and she knew that if she reached in and let them slip through her teeth, she would crumble internally. She still didn't respond. Austin slowly nodded his head and set it on the piano top.

Ally's chest felt tight again and her finger tips were beginning to tremble. Her moist mouth became dry, her saliva felt absent. She didn't want to panic, not today, not ever. She was tired of the attacks, they wore her down until she practically putty on the ground. She didn't know why her heart started to hammer along her ribcage like it was trying to break her bones individually, maybe it was because Austin read her most honest feelings, she really didn't know, but she felt like disappearing into the floor.

Austin realized her body was stiff and tense. He glanced at her and by now, he had grown used to the random attacks that burst out of nowhere. Like last night, it had happened while she was sitting on the couch quietly. There wasn't any conversation and all she'd been doing was staring at the floor and boom, she was a mess of a girl who thought somebody had torn her lungs out of her body.

"I'm going to get you some water." Austin told her and Ally didn't even have it in her to nod. He got up, leaving the room and she felt like rocking herself until she fell asleep. Austin returned with a glass of water and Ally carefully sipped it, feeling relieved when the moist feeling returned inside her throat. When Austin knew Ally was okay again, he suggested, "Maybe you should go to bed."

Ally nodded her head. Sleep sounded awful and good right now. She was exhausted but sleeping only meant fear. Ally concluded that she needed the sleep though, even if it was only for a couple of hours. Austin walked with her up the stairs and when he was sure she was settled, he went back to the music room.

He looked at her song. He straightened his back and then let his fingers trip over the keys, addressing the melody. He read over the lyrics once more and then softly began to sing them, quiet enough that he wouldn't wake Ally.

_"Woken up like an animal_

_Teeth ready for sinking_

_My mind's lost in bleak visions_

_I've tried to escape but keep sinking_

_Limbs lost to a dead weight stake_

_Skull cage like a prison_

_And he's lost faith he'll ever see again_

_So may he once thought of me then_

_Underneath the skin there's a human_

_Buried deep within there's a human_

_And despite everything I'm still human_

_But I think I'm dying here_

_Woken up like an animal_

_I'm all ready for healing_

_My mind's lost with nightmares streaming_

_Woken up (kicking screaming)_

_Take me out of this place I'm in_

_Break me out of this shell-like case I'm in_

_Underneath the skin there's a human_

_Buried deep within there's a human_

_And despite everything I'm still human_

_I think that I'm still human [x3]_

_Underneath the skin there's a human_

_Buried deep within there's a human_

_And despite everything I'm still human_

_But I think I'm dying here."_

Austin let out a breath as he finished and nodded his head with a small smile. It sounded perfect with the melody and he bet it would sound better if Ally was the one to sing it. Nobody sings original songs better than the songwriter them self. Austin knew he was going to have to make good progress with Ally if he was going to get to hear her sing her song.

**WHOA**

**THAT WAS AN EXTRA LONG WAIT**

**PROPS TO YOU GUYS FOR WAITING**

**MAN...**

**I AM SO SORRY.**

**BUT...WRITERS BLOCK**

**AND THEN IN ONE CLEAR MOMENT, INSPIRATION HIT AND I KNEW WHAT TO WRITE.**

**FUNNY HOW THAT HAPPENS, HUH? **


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